- People treat benefits as a box to tick on the business case, deflating or inflating them to facilitate project approval.
- Even if benefits are properly defined, they are usually forgotten once the project is underway.
- Subsequent changes to project scope may impact the viability of the project’s business benefits, resulting in solutions that do not deliver expected value.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- It is rare for project teams or sponsors to be held accountable for managing and/or measuring benefits. The assumption is often that no one will ask if benefits have been realized after the project is closed.
- The focus is largely on the project’s schedule, budget, and scope, with little attention paid to the value that the project is meant to deliver to the organization.
- Without an objective stakeholder to hold people accountable for defining benefits and demonstrating their delivery, benefits will continue to be treated as red tape.
- Sponsors will not take the time to define benefits properly, if at all. The project team will not take the time to ensure they are still achievable as the project progresses. When the project is complete, no one will investigate actual project success.
Impact and Result
- The project sponsor and business unit leaders must own project benefits; IT is only accountable for delivering the solution.
- IT can play a key role in this process by establishing and supporting a benefits realization process. They can help business unit leaders and sponsors define benefits properly, identify meaningful metrics, and report on benefits realization effectively.
- The project management office is ideally suited to facilitate this process by providing tools and templates, and a consistent and comparable view across projects.
- Project managers are accountable for delivering the project, not for delivering the benefits of the project itself. However, they must ensure that changes to project scope are assessed for impact on benefits viability.
Measure IT Project Value Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should establish a benefits legitimacy practice, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Measure IT Project Value – Phases 1-3
1. Establish benefits legitimacy during portfolio Intake
This phase will help you define a benefits management process to help support effective benefits definition during portfolio intake.
- Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 1: Establish Benefits Legitimacy During Portfolio Intake
- Project Sponsor Role Description Template
- Benefits Commitment Form Template
- Right-Sized Business Case Template
2. Maintain benefits legitimacy throughout project planning and execution
This phase will help you define a process for effective benefits management during project planning and the execution intake phase.
- Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 2: Maintain Benefits Legitimacy Throughout Project Planning and Execution
- Project Benefits Documentation Workbook
- Benefits Legitimacy Workflow Template (PDF)
- Benefits Legitimacy Workflow Template (Visio)
3. Close the deal on project benefits
This phase will help you define a process for effectively tracking and reporting on benefits realization post-project.
- Deliver Project Value With a Benefits Legitimacy Initiative – Phase 3: Close the Deal on Project Benefits
- Portfolio Benefits Tracking Tool
- Benefits Lag Report Template
- Benefits Legitimacy Handbook Template
Workshop: Measure IT Project Value
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Analyze the Current State of Benefits Management
The Purpose
Assess the current state of benefits management at your organization and establish a realistic target state.
Establish project and portfolio baselines for benefits management.
Key Benefits Achieved
Set achievable workshop goals and align stakeholder expectations.
Establish a solid foundation for benefits management success.
Activities
1.1 Introductions and overview.
1.2 Discuss attendee expectations and goals.
1.3 Complete Info-Tech’s PPM Current State Scorecard.
1.4 Perform right-wrong-confusing-missing analysis.
1.5 Define target state for benefits management.
1.6 Refine project levels.
Outputs
Info-Tech’s PPM Current State Scorecard report
Right-wrong-confusing-missing analysis
Stakeholder alignment around workshop goals and target state
Info-Tech’s Project Intake Classification Matrix
2 Establish Benefits Legitimacy During Portfolio Intake
The Purpose
Establish organizationally specific benefit metrics and KPIs.
Develop clear roles and accountabilities for benefits management.
Key Benefits Achieved
An articulation of project benefits and measurements.
Clear checkpoints for benefits communication during the project are defined.
Activities
2.1 Map the current portfolio intake process.
2.2 Establish project sponsor responsibilities and accountabilities for benefits management.
2.3 Develop organizationally specific benefit metrics and KPIs.
2.4 Integrate intake legitimacy into portfolio intake processes.
Outputs
Info-Tech’s Project Sponsor Role Description Template
Info-Tech’s Benefits Commitment Form Template
Intake legitimacy process flow and RASCI chart
Intake legitimacy SOP
3 Maintain Benefits Legitimacy Throughout Project Planning and Execution
The Purpose
Develop a customized SOP for benefits management during project planning and execution.
Key Benefits Achieved
Ensure that all changes to the project have been recorded and benefits have been updated in preparation for deployment.
Updated benefits expectations are included in the final sign-off package.
Activities
3.1 Map current project management process and audit project management documentation.
3.2 Identify appropriate benefits control points.
3.3 Customize project management documentation to integrate benefits.
3.4 Develop a deployment legitimacy process flow.
Outputs
Customized project management toolkit
Info-Tech’s Project Benefits Documentation Workbook
Deployment of legitimacy process flow and RASCI chart
Deployment of legitimacy SOP
4 Close the Deal on Project Benefits
The Purpose
Develop a post-project benefits realization process.
Key Benefits Achieved
Clear project sponsorship accountabilities for post-project benefits tracking and reporting.
A portfolio level benefits tracking tool for reporting on benefits attainment.
Activities
4.1 Identify appropriate benefits control points in the post-project process.
4.2 Configure Info-Tech’s Portfolio Benefits Tracking Tool.
4.3 Define a post-project benefits reporting process.
4.4 Formalize protocol for reporting on, and course correcting, benefit lags.
4.5 Develop a post-project legitimacy process flow.
Outputs
Info-Tech’s Portfolio Benefits Tracking Tool
Post-Project legitimacy process flow and RASCI chart
Post-Project Legitimacy SOP
Info-Tech’s Benefits Legitimacy Handbook
Info-Tech’s Benefits Legitimacy Workflow Template